Al Cook

CEO De Beers Group

Al Cook became Chief Executive Officer of De Beers Group in February 2023.

Al brings extensive leadership expertise to De Beers Group, having previously been Executive Vice President, Exploration and Production International at Equinor, where he led Equinor’s multi-billion dollar global E&P business across Africa, the Americas and Europe. He previously led Equinor's global strategy and business development, developing the company’s net zero strategy.
Before joining Equinor, Al had a 20 year career at BP, where his final role was Chief of Staff to the CEO. This included working with the World Economic Forum to address the challenge of climate change, setting up the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative and supporting diversity programmes across the energy industry.

Al holds an MA in Natural Sciences from St. John’s College, Cambridge University and in 2005 completed the International Executive Programme at INSEAD.

Al is a Trustee of the Power of Nutrition charity, a Fellow of the Energy Institute and a Fellow of the Geological Society of London.

2024 Agenda Sessions

Disruptive Discussion - Africa exploration pipelines - why so empty?

The future of mining depends on exploring for, and discovering new deposits now – why then is so little investment being made into the last truly untapped mineral-rich continent?
How do we address the major prohibitors preventing exploration spend? – political instability, safety concerns, and a lack of transparent data
Unless radical change is achieved to address limited exploration spend, will Africa miss out on the opportunity to meet global demand for critical minerals needed to drive the planet’s green transformation?
Which African countries are defying the limited exploration trend, and why?

Monday 05 February 15:35 - 16:20 Disruptors Stage

Disruptive Discussions

Add to calendar 02/05/2024 15:35 02/05/2024 16:20 Disruptive Discussion - Africa exploration pipelines - why so empty?

The future of mining depends on exploring for, and discovering new deposits now – why then is so little investment being made into the last truly untapped mineral-rich continent?
How do we address the major prohibitors preventing exploration spend? – political instability, safety concerns, and a lack of transparent data
Unless radical change is achieved to address limited exploration spend, will Africa miss out on the opportunity to meet global demand for critical minerals needed to drive the planet’s green transformation?
Which African countries are defying the limited exploration trend, and why?

Disruptors Stage Africa/Johannesburg